HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
THE BUDGET
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THE COLONIAL SECRETARY moved the second reading of "An Ordinance to apply a sum not exceeding Twenty-seven million twenty-nine thousand two hundred and thirty-five Dollars to the Public Service of the year 1934."
THE COLONIAL TREASURER seconded the motion.
HON. SIR HENRY POLLOCK.-Your Excellency, It is my privilege as Senior Unofficial Member, to address this Council regarding the Budget for 1934, on behalf of the whole body of the Unofficial Members, with the exception of the Honourable Mr. J.P. Braga, who unfortunately was prevented by illness from attending our meeting, and the Honourable Mr. Paul Lauder, who was absent from the Colony.
It comes as no surprise to those who have watched the de- pressing and progressively downward course of trade in this Colony, which has naturally been accompanied by a big shrinkage in some of our important heads of revenue, to learn that the Government are once again producing a "colourless budget”.
Perhaps the only thing upon which the Colony can whole-heart- edly congratulate itself, in connection with the Estimates for 1934, is that no increase of taxation is considered necessary, as might well have been the case if the course of Exchange between our local dollar and sterling had been less favourable to us. At the same time we have the sum of $500,000 re the Naval Arsenal and Kellett Island still unpaid.
And now, for convenience sake, I will endeavour, in reply to the speech of the Honourable Acting Colonial Secretary, to deal with. the various subjects dealt with by him in the same order as he has done.
Decrease of Liquor and Tobacco Duties.
With regard to the considerable drop in the import duties on liquor and tobacco for the first half of 1933 as compared with the Estimates for that period, we should like, as drinks and smokes are perhaps the last things which people ordinarily forego, a searching inquiry to be made as to whether we might not, in these hard times, possibly obtain larger local consumption and more revenue by reducing the duties on liquor and tobacco.
Reduction in Opium Revenue.
Whilst fully recognising the good intentions of those who think that they can succeed in prohibiting the smoking of opium, we regret that, with our long experience of this Colony, we consider that such an aim is a hopeless one.
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